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Misdemeanor Man #1
Misdemeanor Man: A Novel
Gordon Seegerman is a reluctant public defender by day and the enthusiastic singer in a Manilow cover band by night. When his boss sticks him with a misdemeanour flasher case, Seegerman thinks, No problem. He’ll plead the case, caution his client to keep his trousers zipped, and rush back to rehearsal. No such luck. His client vanishes, a key witness winds up dead, and the case reveals corruption among his city's most prominent citizens, Seegerman finds himself having to act like a real lawyer for the first time in his life—and to his surprise, he’s good at it. Irresistible and irreverent, Misdemeanor Man will have you on the edge of your seat, rooting for the underdog and believing in the magic of Manilow.
339 pages, Paperback
First published June 12, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 17, 2010
At one point I thought I wouldn't finish this novel, because things about the story irritated me. But in the end I found that the characters were interesting enough to keep me coming back.
Schaffer's characters are an odd lot. I usually like odd, and I have no objection to a good dose of humor in my suspense/crime novels. In this case I'm not sure that the oddness always works. The main character is Gordon Seegerman, a public defender and a rather sad sack. Gordon is happy to be relegated to defend misdemeanor types because that is easy to do and doesn't demand too much of his energy or time. His real love is as the lead singer of a Barry Manilow cover band, Barry X and the Mandys.
Have I lost you? I wouldn't be surprised. I think I was able to finally accept this premise and move ahead because Gordon is actually likeable, and he's got some tough stuff to deal with. He's also a better guy than he intends to be, and that's compelling.
There's a complex set of mysteries here that start when a reformed alcoholic who works as an accountant for a big-name charitable organization is arrested for flashing a young girl. That misdemeanor then spirals out of control into something very different, and bodies begin to appear. Gordon gets pulled out of his sedate approach to his career and sucked into the big time.
The best I can say about this is that it makes me interested in reading more of Schaffer. I'm glad I stuck it out with Gordon, but my opinion about Barry Manilow hasn't changed, not one iota.
Oh and by the way: great cover art.
Schaffer's characters are an odd lot. I usually like odd, and I have no objection to a good dose of humor in my suspense/crime novels. In this case I'm not sure that the oddness always works. The main character is Gordon Seegerman, a public defender and a rather sad sack. Gordon is happy to be relegated to defend misdemeanor types because that is easy to do and doesn't demand too much of his energy or time. His real love is as the lead singer of a Barry Manilow cover band, Barry X and the Mandys.
Have I lost you? I wouldn't be surprised. I think I was able to finally accept this premise and move ahead because Gordon is actually likeable, and he's got some tough stuff to deal with. He's also a better guy than he intends to be, and that's compelling.
There's a complex set of mysteries here that start when a reformed alcoholic who works as an accountant for a big-name charitable organization is arrested for flashing a young girl. That misdemeanor then spirals out of control into something very different, and bodies begin to appear. Gordon gets pulled out of his sedate approach to his career and sucked into the big time.
The best I can say about this is that it makes me interested in reading more of Schaffer. I'm glad I stuck it out with Gordon, but my opinion about Barry Manilow hasn't changed, not one iota.
Oh and by the way: great cover art.
April 23, 2013
Gordon Seegerman, a public defender who specializes in misdemeanors, is handed a case that, on the surface, is a simple indecent exposure matter that should be pleaded out with no problem and no sweat. Thank God, because Seegerman has a major gig coming up where he and his Barry Manilow cover band are going to perform in front of Barry himself and he doesn't really have time for distractions. But things start going wrong from the get-go when his defendant refuses to plea, preferring to go to trial, and the prosecutor, his ex girlfriend, is inclined to string the guy up alive. While all this is going on, he also has to deal with his father whose early onset Alzheimer's is progressing to the point where he may no longer be able to live at home. This is a good read and I look forward to reading more of Dylan Schaffer's work.
June 2, 2017
I really enjoyed this book; it was a fun read. The characters are quirky and realistic. Gordon is a not too enthusiastic lawyer and ends up with a big case by accident. A misdemeanor ends up being a murder case but not all is as it seems. His real life, along with his band-mates from the public defender's office, is a band called Barry X and the Mandys. I loved how the author provided Barry Manilow snippets throughout the story. Gordon's big dream is to have Barry himself show up and give them his blessing. The story was so good I may have to check out the rest in the series. I gave it 4 stars because its just not a 5 star book, but it was better than I expected.
March 28, 2021
I really quite like this story! Didn't guess who dunnit. I even like the Barry Manilow side plot. It was a great device to get into the real life of our protagonist and who and what he deeply cared about. I certainly would read the next!
May 18, 2020
Could not finish even though author certainly knew the law. A little too crass for me!
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September 28, 2020I found the book to be an interesting read although a little too much with Barry Manilow
August 22, 2021
not bad, little too much emphasis on the Barry Manilow aspect, but not bad overall
January 12, 2024
Not my typical read, but it got me really interested in different genres and I'm loving it!
March 11, 2010
I wish I could tack on a half star to this review. Misdemeanor Man is a wonderfully original mystery. I loved that it went beyond your typical whodunit to show us the background story of the lawyer investigating.
Gordon Seegerman is comfortable playing it safe, at least as far as his job goes. His true passion and risk taking come out in his second career as the lead singer in a Barry Manilow cover band. But when it comes to the law, he's shying away from his potential. There are reasons for this, foremost his fear that he'll follow in his father's footsteps and ruin his career and reputation due to the onset of Alzheimer's Disease. His father has a it and it's the genetic version of the disease. I really appreciated this storyline because we are dealing with something similar in my family and the story felt true to life to me.
The other thing this book has going for it is that the mystery is really a mystery. I didn't figure it all out until Gordon did. The book kept me guessing and I never lost interest. We get to see the inner workings of lawyers who are working the smaller cases. Dylan Schaffer has practiced criminal law so he knows what he's talking about. This lends the book it's credibility.
So if you enjoy courtroom/law/mystery stories that are interesting, surprising and feature an engaging narrator... this is the book for you.
February 7, 2010
At the halfway mark, I seriously considered walking away from this book and never finishing it. However, I rarely do that, so I stuck it out. The last fifty pages or so picked up and are what got my rating up to two stars.
Positive: More of a real depiction of actual legal workings than most fictionalized portrayals of the criminal justice system.
Negative: Unnecessary secondary story lines - Barry Manilow cover band, father's Alzheimer's disease, past relationship with Sylvie and possible relationship with Myla, etc. I found that any and all of the secondary story lines were uninteresting and unnecessary. I suspect the author believed them necessary to create more dimensions and depth to the main character. However, a fictionalized book like this doesn't necessarily require it and their inclusion slowed the plot to almost a standstill at times.
In the end, the plot wrapped up a little too cleanly. The good guys "won" and the bad guys were likely going to get what they deserved. The main character's life also seemed to be moving in a positive direction, even after most of the book described his life's difficulties and failures.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book.
Positive: More of a real depiction of actual legal workings than most fictionalized portrayals of the criminal justice system.
Negative: Unnecessary secondary story lines - Barry Manilow cover band, father's Alzheimer's disease, past relationship with Sylvie and possible relationship with Myla, etc. I found that any and all of the secondary story lines were uninteresting and unnecessary. I suspect the author believed them necessary to create more dimensions and depth to the main character. However, a fictionalized book like this doesn't necessarily require it and their inclusion slowed the plot to almost a standstill at times.
In the end, the plot wrapped up a little too cleanly. The good guys "won" and the bad guys were likely going to get what they deserved. The main character's life also seemed to be moving in a positive direction, even after most of the book described his life's difficulties and failures.
Unfortunately, I wouldn't recommend this book.
November 5, 2012
Gordon Seegerman is a public defender in Santa Rita (most likely a code name for Oakland, California) specializing in misdemeanors. He is also the singer in the Mandys, a band that cultivates Barry Manilow's music. Sounds pretty unlikely combination, yet the author, Dylan Schaffer, an actual attorney with a long history of legal practice, makes it all work.
Mr. Schaffer's writing is first rate: terse and funny. His observations of the idiocy of the jury system in our country are deep and damning. Yet, to me, the best aspect of "Misdemeanor Man" is the portrayal of the early onset Alzheimer disease suffered by Mr. Seegerman's father. It is vivid, clinical, and deeply moving.
"Misdemeanor Man" is a very good book. I was even thinking about giving it five stars, but the ending degenerated a bit into TV-style fast action, where there was no need for that. Thank you, Mr. Schaffer, for doing a great writing job.
There are not many singers/musicians whom I despise more than Barry Manilow. I would need to be paid a lot to endure attending his concert. Yet Mr. Schaffer's writing is so skillful that for the duration of this book I was seeing Barry Manilow as an actual artist. Great job!
Four and a half stars.
Mr. Schaffer's writing is first rate: terse and funny. His observations of the idiocy of the jury system in our country are deep and damning. Yet, to me, the best aspect of "Misdemeanor Man" is the portrayal of the early onset Alzheimer disease suffered by Mr. Seegerman's father. It is vivid, clinical, and deeply moving.
"Misdemeanor Man" is a very good book. I was even thinking about giving it five stars, but the ending degenerated a bit into TV-style fast action, where there was no need for that. Thank you, Mr. Schaffer, for doing a great writing job.
There are not many singers/musicians whom I despise more than Barry Manilow. I would need to be paid a lot to endure attending his concert. Yet Mr. Schaffer's writing is so skillful that for the duration of this book I was seeing Barry Manilow as an actual artist. Great job!
Four and a half stars.
May 14, 2015
Gordon Seegemann is a public defender who specializes in Misdemeanor cases he is also the lead singer in a Barry Manilow cover band. Gordon gets assigned to the case of Harold Dunn who has been accused of exposing himself in a department store. Dunn claims he is innocent and wants a trial by jury and wants to stay in jail until his trial (can you believe this guy?) of course we later find out that he has a very good reason for wanting to stay behind bars. The story was amusing at times, but I could have done without all the stuff about Barry Manilow there was so much about Manilow that it got in the way of an otherwise pretty good mystery. I am not recommding this book to anyone.
May 22, 2015
A fun read. Not the greatest mystery I've ever read, but overall funny and my book group had a great discussion about it. A lot of the surrounding issues and topics (genetic testing, being on a jury, etc.) made the most interesting discussion. The book was also pretty funny and the Barry Manilow stuff gave it all a different twist and the author is clearly a lawyer which gave the trial aspects some legitimacy. I'm not sure if I will read it but I am curious to hear how the sequel shakes out.
October 6, 2016
I can't stand MBM but this story touched my heart with all its twists & turns & the reluctant hero who just wants to work a quiet job by day as a public defender for those accused of petty crimes so he can put his real efforts into his music by night... and instead he finds himself, step by step, drawn into putting on a real defense of a man accused of a silly crime he may or may not have committed. What a ride.
April 13, 2014
Maybe it is because I am a public defender and I typically don't like reading work-heavy books, but I didn't love this quick-read. It was entertaining, that's for sure. Quick read if you like legal crime books. Not heavy in the suspense.
October 25, 2008
Truly one of the most original books that I have read. I wish more people would discover this writer...then maybe he could write some more of the series.
January 19, 2010
Sue Grafton plus a Y chromosome minus her artful use of sardonic humor equals Dylan Schaffer. Not a bad read but I take exception to the advance praise that promised "the thinking man's Gresham".
April 6, 2010
Just a fun, entertaining book, looking forward to the second one!
March 13, 2012
The book was a good premise with lively characters. But it got bogged down and took such a long time to unwrap.
October 10, 2012
All signs pointed to this being a book I wouldn't like. On the contrary! Look world, I like a good whodunit as much as anyone! Extra points for being set in my old hometown.
October 8, 2014
A detective story set in the Bay Area featuring a protagonist who fronts a Barry Manilow cover band. Pretty good.
April 26, 2015
A funny book which I enjoy.
June 10, 2015
The plot was a little confusing, but I loved the characters and all the Barry Manilow stuff... fun...
July 17, 2012
Garbage
September 16, 2012
What a fun book! The plot is truly clever, and the hero loves Barry Manilow -- my guilty pleasure.
April 28, 2015
3.5 The Barry Manilow parts started to get on my nerves, but I really enjoyed the rest.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews